A Broken Wing
by The Wheatmeister
Summary: Addison faces every woman's worst fear. AddisonAlex
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Broken Wing

Author: Stephanie (The Wheatmeister)

Spoilers: Takes place sometime after 6 Days. Assume everything after that hasn't happened.

Pairing: Addison/Alex

Rating: This part is T, but it will become M before all is said and done.

Disclaimer: I don't own, please don't sue. PS—Shonda, I love you!!

Feedback: Always welcome, never demanded.

Dedication: To S.G. and D.L.—Two classy women who fought valiant, but losing battles with breast cancer. I miss you both.

"Morning, Miranda," Addison said, approaching her at the nurses' station.

Looking up from her charts, Miranda Bailey said, "Hey, Addison. You okay? You look a little stressed."

"Actually, I am. Can you…I need your opinion on something. Your medical opinion."

Looking suspiciously at her colleague, Bailey said, "You didn't sit in poison ivy again, did you?"

Laughing in spite of herself, Addison replied, "No. This is actually worse. I, uh, I found a lump this morning. In the shower. I was doing a self exam, and I found a lump."

Motioning down the hall, Bailey said, "Room 407 is empty. Change into a gown and I'll be there in a minute. First, I'm going to call radiology and see if they can get you in for a mammogram."

"Thank you, Miranda." Addison grabbed a hospital gown from the supply closet then went into the empty room to disrobe. Taking off her bra, she probed the outside of her left breast, finding the lump again with ease. Quickly putting the gown on, she sat on the bed, nervously tapping her fingers against the mattress.

There was a soft knock and Miranda slipped through the door. "Radiology can see you in 15 minutes. First, let me take a look. Which breast?"

"Left," Addison replied, slipping her left arm out of the gown, then raising it above her head. She felt Miranda's fingers gently palpate the area she had felt the lump in moments earlier.

"Right there," the resident mumbled, finding the lump. "It's pretty big. Was it there your last self exam?"

"No. That was about three weeks ago."

"Last mammogram?"

"Seven months ago. I've been getting them since I turned twenty."

Miranda looked up at her. "Family history?"

"Two aunts, my grandmother, and a cousin."

"Okay. Go get the mammogram, then try to get some work done. Around lunch time, meet me back here. I'll do a needle biopsy. Hopefully we'll know something by the end of the day. Right now, I need to figure out which doctors have to deal with my suck-ups."

"Can you send Karev my way? He's the most capable of handling things for me today."

"Sure thing. And Addison?" The red head looked up at her. "You'll get through this. Whatever it turns out being."

"Thanks, Miranda."

Five minutes later, Bailey stood before her interns. "Yang, O'Malley, with Dr. Shepard. Grey and Stevens, you're with Burke. Karev, Dr. Montgomery." As they all started walking away, she said, "Alex? Hang on a minute."

"Yeah?" he said.

"Go check on Dr, Montgomery's patients and be prepared to round with her in about 45 minutes. She had an appointment she needed to take care of this morning."

"Sure thing, Dr. Bailey."

"And Alex? She requested you. Said you were the most capable intern we have. I just thought you should know."

Smiling, he said, "Thanks, Dr. Bailey." He hurried up to the maternity ward and checked on the three expectant mothers on Addison's service. They were all doing well, so he went down a floor to the NICU to check out the preemies. That's where Addison found him half an hour later.

"Dr. Karev."

He turned when she called his name. He was struck by how tired she looked. "Dr. Montgomery. You okay?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I may need you to pick up some slack for me today."

"Yeah. Sure."

"So what do we have today?" she asked, snapping instantly into business mode. Not pushing the matter, Alex started reviewing her cases, offering observations about each patient and suggesting treatment options. Addison noted with some degree of pride that he was right on. Alex Karev really was turning into a fine doctor. They worked on charts most of the morning, catching up from the two weeks prior that had been rather chaotic. At lunchtime, Addison had slipped away, only to return an hour later looking, if anything, more pale than before. Alex noticed, but chose to say nothing. It wasn't until they were performing an emergency c-section that afternoon that he realized exactly what might be wrong.

She was in the process of closing when she reached toward her instrument tray for some mosquito forceps with her left hand. Feeling the pain shoot down her side, she gasped and dropped the forceps. "Doctor Montgomery?" Alex asked.

"Dr. Karev, can you finish closing for me, please?"

"Sure," he said, taking the instruments from her and watching her rush out of the operating room. He closed as quickly as was safe for the patient, scrubbed out, and went in search of Addison. He ran into Dr. Bailey who, upon seeing the worried look on his face, said, "Try room 407, Karev."

Mumbling his thanks, he sprinted off toward the stairs and the 4th floor. Knocking the door, he heard muffled sobs coming from inside. Quietly entering the room, he saw Addison Montgomery curled up on the hospital bed in a fetal position, cradling her left arm. "Addison?" he ventured gently. "What's wrong?"

Her only response was more sobs. Crossing the room, he pulled the stool in the corner up to the bed and sat down. "When did you find the lump?" he asked.

She looked up at him sharply. "How did you know?"

He shrugged. "I guessed. My grandmother died from breast cancer. She was the only person in my family who ever gave a damn about me. After she had her biopsy, she was pretty sore too."

"Bailey did it at lunch today. I found the lump this morning in the shower."

"When will you have the results?"

"Miranda put a rush on them. I should know something by this evening. I'm scared, Alex. It grew so fast. It wasn't there three weeks ago. Or at least, I don't think it was there. I don't know anymore."

Reaching out, Alex took her right hand and held it between both of his. Bringing it to his lips, he said, "Don't do that, Addie. Don't start second guessing yourself. Can I get you anything? Ice for the injection site?" She shook her head. "Okay. Why don't you try to get some rest? I'll go check Mrs. Jackson's post-op labs and make sure everyone else is doing okay, then I'll be back." Standing up, he placed a quick kiss against her temple. "It's going to be okay, Addison."

Three hours later, Addison and Alex were standing at the nurses' station counter discussing a patient when Alex spotted Bailey coming their way. He nudged Addison gently, alerting her of Bailey's approach. "Addison, can I speak to you?"

Grasping Alex's hand like a lifeline, she said, "Are those my biopsy results?"

"They are. Why don't we go to an exam room where we can discuss them?"

Addison started to follow her, still holding Alex's hand. When she felt resistance, she turned to see him looking hesitantly at her, still standing in the same spot by the nurses' station. "I want…I need you to come with me, Alex," she said quietly. Bobbing his head, he squeezed her hand and fell in step next to her. They sat side by side on the bed, Alex placing a hand on Addison's knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. Bailey took a seat on the stool next to the bed where Alex had been sitting before.

"Addison, I'm so sorry," Miranda said. "The cells I took from the needle biopsy were cancerous."

Addison leaned forward, dropping her head into her hands. Miranda placed a hand on her knee while Alex put his arm around her, drawing her close to him. "I need to talk to Derek," she mumbled. Alex looked at Bailey.

"I'll get him," she said, leaving the two of them alone.

When she was gone, Addison turned to Alex and buried her head in his chest, wrapping her arms around him and holding on for dear life. Alex felt his heart break as she began to cry. "I'm so sorry, Addie," he whispered. "So sorry."

"I kept hoping that it would be benign. I don't want to do this, Alex."

Wrapping his arms around her more tightly, he said, "I know, baby. I don't want you to do this either, but you're a fighter. And you've got friends who will help you through this. You've got me. I'll be right here."

Lifting her head, Addison looked at him shyly. "Thank you, Alex. You've been so sweet today."

"It's nothing," he said, dismissively, trying to downplay the panic he himself felt. He had seen first hand how breast cancer could ravage a body with his grandmother. While he still had no idea where he and Addison stood as far as defining their relationship was concerned, he knew that he cared about her very much and he was scared too. They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Addison?" Derek asked, walking into the room, surprised to see his ex-wife and an intern in such an intimate embrace. "Bailey said you need to speak with me?"

She handed him the piece of paper with her biopsy results on it. "Can you call Erin?"

Feeling dread settle like a rock in the pit of his stomach, Derek stared at the words on the page. "Yeah," he said. "I'll call Erin. She'll probably be on the next plane out."

"Even after everything that's happened?"

"Addison, we both messed up. My sister never stopped caring about you. None of them did."

"Thanks, Derek."

"Addie." It somehow didn't sound as sweet when Derek used her nickname as it did when Alex said it. "If you need anything, anything at all, let me know."

"I will."

"Okay then." Derek stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before turning to leave.

"Let's get out of here," Alex said, standing up and bringing Addison with him.

"I don't…I can't go back to the hotel."

"You're not. You're coming home with me tonight. You don't need to be alone and you don't need to be spending tonight in a cold, impersonal hotel room."

"Alex—"

"Addison, this isn't up for debate. You get the bed, I get the couch. If I'm really feeling generous tomorrow morning, I might even make you pancakes."

"You sure know how to make a girl an offer she can't refuse."

"Come on. I'll take you by the hotel so you can pick up some things for the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Alex as thumbing through a medical journal on his couch when Addison emerged from his bathroom, fresh from the shower. Looking up he smiled at how adorable she looked in a pair of flannel pajama pants and an old sweatshirt of his that she had stolen. "Feel better?"

"Yeah," she said, sitting next to him. "I love your shower. It beats the measly water pressure at the hotel."

"I told you so. How's your side? Feeling any pain?"

"Not really. It looks pretty ugly, though."

"Addison, nothing about you could ever possibly look ugly." Blushing, she hid her face in his shoulder. Alex laughed, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

Nestling into the crook of his arm, Addison said, "Tell me about your grandmother."

"She was incredible. She was my mother's mother. My mom died when I was two. Drug overdose. She and my dad had that in common and that was about all. I spent a lot of my time growing up at a blues club watching my father drink, do lines of coke, or play the trumpet. But I was happiest when I was with my grandmother. She lived a couple of streets over from Dad and me. I knew I could count on a home cooked meal and she listened when I told her about my day. She even checked my homework, at least when I was little. Calculus wasn't really her thing. My dad always told me I was worthless, but Grandma said he was wrong, that I was special and that I could do whatever I set my mind to. When I was a junior in high school, she went to the doctor for a check up and that was when the lump was found. She had a mastectomy, chemo, radiation, but she just kept getting worse. Even as weak as she was, she made it to my high school graduation. She died a couple of weeks later."

Addison looked up at Alex and saw a single tear rolling down his cheek. She gently brushed it away. "She would have been really proud of you, Alex. You've become an excellent doctor."

"Thanks. That means a lot, especially coming from you." Kissing the top of her head, he asked, "So who's Erin?"

"She's Derek's little sister. She's one of the best oncologists on the east coast. Plus, she knows my family history."

"I had wondered if you had a family history of breast cancer."

"Four women, two on either side of my family."

"I wish I knew what to say or do to make this easier on you."

Sitting up, Addison looked him square in the eye. "You're doing it right now, Alex. Just by being you." Settling again against his left shoulder, she said, "Alex, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he murmured.

"What are we doing?"

"Um…sitting on my couch talking?" he said, knowing that was not the answer she was looking for, but in his nervousness, all he could think to do was make light of the situation.

She smacked him lightly on the chest. "Seriously? That wasn't what I was talking about, Alex."

"I know that. I just…I don't know. I know that you are an amazing woman and I care about you a lot. I know you're a good kisser. But we've never really talked about that night at Joe's, and I didn't know if that meant you aren't interested or if you're as nervous about this as I am."

Addison sat up again and turned to face him on the couch. "Alex, it's not that I'm not interested. That much I can assure you. I just…I'm your attending, and I have no real desire to become part of the Seattle Grace rumor mill. Plus, I'm a mess, Alex. My personal life is a mess. And I don't want you to get dragged down by that. But I wish it were simpler, because I'm ridiculously attracted to you. Everything's different now, though."

"It is," he agreed. "You are the most complex, captivating woman I have ever met, Addison Montgomery. And I have so much respect for you—as a doctor, as a surgeon, as a woman. You are strong and intelligent and funny and sexy as hell. Whatever happens next, surgery and chemo and all of that, I'll be right here, because first and foremost, I consider you a friend, and that's what friends do."

"Thank you, Alex," she said, offering him a shy smile. "So does that mean that we take things as they come?"

"Absolutely," he replied, returning her smile.

"Okay."

"Okay," Alex mimicked with a smirk.

Addison laughed at him, then laid her head back on his chest, yet again. "I'll probably have to have a mastectomy," she said quietly.

"Probably," Alex echoed. "Have you thought about reconstruction?"

"I don't think I want it. That may sound weird, but it just seems so…fake."

Alex laughed. "Addison, it would be fake."

"I just…it's a hassle. And, if this tumor is as advanced as I think it is, part of my chest wall will have to be removed, which means reconstruction would have to wait, and I don't want two surgeries. Is that strange?"

Alex laid his cheek against the top of her head. "Not at all. Addison, you are beautiful, and that won't change if you choose not to have breast reconstruction."

"Thank you," she said, yawning.

"You've had a long day, Addie. Why don't you go to bed?"

"Could, I mean would you…hold me? At least until I fall asleep?"

Alex kissed her forehead. "Absolutely." Helping her to her feet, he said, "Why don't you go get comfortable. I'm gonna go pee and change clothes."

Five minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom clad in pajama pants and an old grey t-shirt. Addison was already curled up in his bed, under the covers. He climbed in next to her and turned off the light. Laying on his back, Alex grabbed Addison's wrist and pulled her gently toward him. Wrapping his arms around her, he said, "Does it bother you if I call you Addie?" he asked, suddenly realized that he had been using her nickname a lot throughout the course of the day.

"No," she murmured, resting her head on his chest. "It sounds good, coming from you."

"Well, in that case, sleep well, Addie."

"You too, Alex," she mumbled as she drifted off in his embrace. Alex was only able to keep his eyes open for a few more minutes before he joined her in sleep.

oOoOo

Addison was paying for her coffee at the stand just outside the hospital when Miranda Bailey approached her. "Addison? I tried to get a hold of you all night last night. I was worried."

Taking a sip of her latte, Addison said, "I was with Alex. He didn't think I needed to be alone last night."

Miranda let out a big sigh. "Addison."

"Miranda, there's nothing going on. Yet. I consider him a good friend. He was a perfect gentleman."

"You said 'yet.' What is it in the water of this hospital?"

Seeing the look in her friend's eyes, Addison knew she was only faking most of her exasperation. "You know I'd never favor Karev over the rest of the interns, Dr. Bailey. But…"

"I hate that word."

"It's just that I'm going to be out of commission for awhile and I would appreciate it if Alex could be assigned to my service indefinitely. He has an aptitude for obstetrics and gynecology, even if he won't admit it. I know that he'll be an asset to whomever fills in for me while I'm out."

"I can do that, assuming that's what he wants. I still haven't heard him admit that he doesn't want to pursue plastics anymore. Although something tells me he'll agree. That's what 'friends' do for each other, after all, isn't it?"

Addison rolled her eyes at the sarcasm she heard in Bailey's voice. "Miranda—"

"All of you attendings and interns are gonna drive me to an early grave. Explain that to my little boy."

Addison laughed. "Sorry."

"For what it's worth, Addison," Miranda said. "You could do a lot worse than Alex Karev."

"Thanks, Miranda." Addison smiled as she walked away. That was as close to the Bailey seal of approval as she figured she would ever get.

oOoOo

"Where is Yang?" Bailey demanded as the rest of her interns gathered at the nurses' station to get their assignments for the day.

"She's coming, Dr. Bailey," Meredith Grey answered. "She was running late this morning."

"I'm sure she was," Bailey muttered under her breath as Christiana Yang sprinted toward them. "Good of you to join us, Yang. Have fun in the pit today."

Christina opened her mouth to protest then thought better of it. No one ever won an argument with the Nazi.

"Stevens, with Torres, and you will behave yourself and keep your snarky comments to yourself unless a week of scut sounds like fun to you." George attempted to hide his smile. "O'Malley, you're with Shepard, Grey with Burke. Karev, you'll be on Dr. Montgomery's service indefinitely."

Alex nodded in understanding, sure that Addison had talked to Bailey about taking a leave of absence to recover from her surgery. Meanwhile, Yang snickered. "What the hell did you do, Evil Spawn? This is the second time you've been stuck on the gynie squad."

"Shut up, Yang," Alex snapped.

"Oh, come on, Alex. You must have done something," Izzie teased.

"Why don't all of you mind your business and get to work," Bailey shouted as she walked away from them. Everyone scampered off except Meredith, who followed Alex into the stairway.

"Something's wrong with Dr. Montgomery," she stated.

Alex looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I overheard Derek on the phone with his sister last night. They were talking about her and he sounded worried. He left early this morning to pick her up from the airport. I don't know which sister it is, but I know they're all doctors."

"It's Erin," Alex said. "She's an oncologist."

"Cancer?" Meredith asked in disbelief.

Alex nodded. "Breast cancer. Addison thinks it's already pretty advanced."

Meredith looked closely at Alex's face. "You're really worried about her, aren't you? You really care about her."

"I do. And she's scared and I'm trying to be strong for her, but I'm scared too. My grandmother died from breast cancer. I was there when it happened. I guess I just…I don't ever want to go through that again."

She squeezed his arm. "I'm always here if you need to talk, Alex."

"Thanks, Mer," he said, grateful for her support. "And Mer? Don't tell anyone. She'll let people know in her own way."

"Absolutely."

oOoOo

An hour later, Addison and Alex were in the NICU when there was a quiet knock at the door. Addison turned and smiled. "Erin!"

"Hey, Ads. It's been too long," the short brunette with curly hair said, embracing her former sister-in-law.

"That's my fault," Addison replied, looking guilty.

"Nonsense. You both screwed up. Don't you dare take all that guilt on yourself." Leaning in, she pointed toward Alex who was standing back, unsure what he should be doing. "Who's the hottie?"

Much to Erin's delight, Addison's face flushed to match the color of her hair. "Alex Karev, this is Erin Shepard. Erin, Alex."

Erin looked Alex up and down unabashedly. Looking pointedly at Addison, she said, "We'll talk later."

Feeling sorry for Alex who was squirming uncomfortably next to her, Addison said, "Sorry, Alex. Erin isn't known for her subtlety."

Erin grinned. "Enough funny business, Ads. Let me take a look at the biopsy results and your mammogram and do a quick exam. Then we'll decide where to go next."

Shooting a quick sideways glance at Alex, Addison said, "Okay. Alex, can you check on those labs and go ahead and round on my patients. You know what needs to be done."

"Sure thing," he said. Swooping in, he kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. "Page me when you're done."

Turning red yet again, Addison mumbled her assent before following a highly amused Erin out of the NICU.

"He's cute, Addie," Erin said as they walked down the hall.

"It's complicated, Erin."

"All the good ones usually are, honey. So are you dating?"

"No. Or not yet. I don't know. We kissed a couple of weeks ago, but we hadn't talked about it until last night. And now things are even more crazy."

"He adores you, Ads. I can tell that by the way he was looking at you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Even Derek thinks so."

"You and Derek talked about this?"

"He might have mentioned something about an intern last night on the phone. So is he good in bed?"

"Derek?" Addison asked, confused.

"Ew, no! I don't wanna know that about my big brother! I'm talking about the intern, you goof."

"I don't know."

"You mean you haven't?"

"No. We're taking things slow. I don't even…I mean, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't want the hassle of dealing with breast cancer."

"Addison, Alex seems like a decent guy, and he obviously cares about you. Things might be a little more complicated, but don't go shutting doors that shouldn't be shut yet, okay?"

"Since when where you the voice of reason?" Addison asked, opening the door of the exam room they would be using for the exam.

"I don't know," Erin replied with a smile. "And I'm not sure I like it. I was kind of used to being the neurotic, wild one." Their laughter could be heard up and down the hall as the door shut behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm not dead! I promise. First I was busy, then I had computer issues, then I was busy again. Add some writer's block, and things have pretty much sucked. But I'm better now. And to make up for the amount of time between updates, this one is pretty massive. Enjoy!!

Part 3

Alex knocked on the door of the exam room. "You paged me?" he asked, sticking his head in the door.

"Come on in, Alex," Addison said. She had just changed back into her clothes after Erin's exam and they were making small talk while they waited for Alex to show up. Addison couldn't quite explain why she needed Alex by her side, but she knew he would be there if she asked. "We were just about to…talk about my options. I wanted…I needed…."

Putting his finger over her lips, Alex stopped Addison mid-ramble. "I'm right here, Addie," he said quietly. "You can lean on me."

Erin smiled as she watched him take a seat next to the red head. She had always had a soft spot for Addison. It made her feel better to know she wouldn't be going through this ordeal alone. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to be the bearer of bad news. "Addison, you need surgery immediately."

"I know. How bad do you think it is?"

"Given the size of the tumor and the rapid growth of it, probably Stage 3. I'll probably have to remove several lymph nodes and part of your chest wall, just to be on the safe side."

"What about treatment?"

"We'll have to wait and see what the pathology report on the tumor is. I'm going to try for some fairly large margins so I can make sure I get it all the first time. Once the path results are back, we can figure out where to go. You'll definitely need a few rounds of chemo, probably some radiation." Erin paused, unsure how to continue. "Addison, your family history includes estrogen-receptor positive cancer, doesn't it?"

Feeling her heart sink, Addison replied, "Yes. In at least two of the cases. You want to put me on Tamoxifen, don't you?"

"If it comes to that, I think it's best. Less risk of recurrence."

"Doesn't Tamoxifen cause premature onset menopause?" Alex asked, tightening his grip on Addison's hand.

"Unfortunately, yes. Addison, we can postpone the surgery a few days. You can have some eggs harvested."

"Erin, you know as well as I do that it would probably be a lost cause. I'm 39. The cell walls of my eggs are starting to deteriorate anyhow. They probably won't survive being frozen, much less the IVF."

"You can always adopt, Addie," Alex interjected. She looked curiously at him. "You were born to be a mom," he continued. "Somewhere in Seattle, there's a kid who needs someone like you to love it. Any kid would be lucky to have you as a mother."

With tears in her eyes, Addison rested her forehead against his. "Thank you," she whispered.

Erin cleared her throat. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, guys. All of this treatment stuff is contingent on the pathology. Right now, we need to concentrate on the surgery and assembling the best team for it."

Addison looked at Alex. "Could you have the Chief, Miranda, Preston, Mark, and Derek paged, Alex?"

"Sure thing," he answered. Kissing her forehead, he said, "I'll be right back."

Once he was gone, Erin looked at her friend with a wry grin. "You know, if you two weren't so cute, it would be kind of sickening."

"Shut up."

"I'm glad you have him, Ads. He'll take good care of you."

"Yeah," she sighed. "He will."

The door to the exam room opened and Alex was back with Richard Webber and Miranda Bailey in tow. He stood awkwardly next to Addison, unsure whether he should sit next to her with the chief in the room.

"Oh, for God's sake, Karev," Bailey exclaimed. "Have a seat before you strain something."

Erin laughed as Alex sheepishly sat next to Addison on the gurney in the room. "You must be Bailey. I've heard a lot about you. My brother likes you a lot," she said, extending her hand to the resident. "I'm Erin Shepherd, Derek's sister."

Shaking the proffered hand, Bailey replied, "Miranda Bailey, 5th year resident."

"Hi, Richard," Erin said, looking up at her brother's mentor.

"Erin," he answered with a warm grin. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but why exactly are you here?"

"Why don't we wait for everyone else?" she suggested. "No need to do this more times than is necessary."

There was a knock on the door before Preston Burke, Derek, and Mark Sloan entered the room "So this is where the party is," Sloan joked. "Curly!"

"Back away, Mark," Erin said. "I don't have time today to wash myself in bleach and get all of your cooties off of me."

"You know you love me," he said. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

She and Addison shared a glance, knowing that this was a conversation that couldn't be put off any longer. Addison cleared her throat. "If, um, if everyone could shut up, I'll explain everything." All eyes turned to her, and she gripped Alex's hand, a move that went unnoticed by no one. "Preston, I think you're the only one who hasn't been introduced to her yet. This is Erin Shepherd, Derek's sister. She's one of the best oncologists in the country. Erin, Preston Burke, one of the preeminent cardio-thoracic surgeons on the west coast." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Yesterday, a needle biopsy indicated that I have…that I have breast cancer. Because of how aggressive this cancer seems, Erin has decided that surgery needs to come sooner rather than later." Addison stopped, trying to compose herself.

Placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, Erin took over. "I'd like to schedule her mastectomy for the day after tomorrow."

"I'll go check the board," Bailey said, squeezing through the crowd and out the door.

"Dr. Burke, I could use your help with this," Erin continued. "I think I'll need to cut into the chest wall."

"I'll be there," he said, offering Addison a sympathetic smile.

Kneeling in front of Addison, Mark took the hand that wasn't tightly gripping Alex's. "Have you thought about reconstruction, Addie?"

She sniffled. "I don't think I want it, Mark. I don't want another surgery. Not right now."

"Okay. Will you let me stitch you up at least? Can't have a big, ugly scar marring your beauty, now can we?" At her nod, he smiled. "Good. And in the meantime, I'll see if I can dig up some information on prostheses and mastectomy bras."

"Thanks, Mark."

The door opened and Bailey was back. "We can have OR 1 at 6:00 Thursday morning." Looking at Addison, she said, "We'll lock the gallery. No reason for this to be broadcast to the whole hospital." Looking pointedly between Alex and Derek, she continued, "You two can watch from gallery."

"But—" Alex began.

"No 'buts,' Alex. You don't get anywhere near that operating room." Looking at Addison, she continued, "Do you want me to assign an intern to this case or not?"

"We are a teaching hospital, and Erin's one of the best."

"Alex, pick an intern," Bailey commanded.

"Grey," he replied without hesitation. Bailey, Addison, and Derek all looked at him, surprised by his choice. Focusing on Addison, he said, "She's the only one I trust, Addie. She'll take good care of you, I promise."

"I'll go page her," Mark said, knowing that his input wasn't needed anymore.

The Chief sent a questioning look toward Addison and Alex, trying to figure out exactly what was going on there. Bailey turned to him and said in a low voice, "They haven't crossed any lines the rest of your attendings haven't already plowed through. Besides, he'll take good care of her. Leave it alone."

Not at all phased by being ordered around by his favorite resident, Richard only nodded.

The door opened then, and Meredith Grey entered. "I was paged?" she asked, looking around at the group of doctors assembled in the small exam room.

Shooting a warning glare at his sister, Derek said, "Dr. Erin Shepherd, this is Dr. Meredith Grey, your intern for the duration."

"Don't look at me like that, big brother. I can be nice on occasion."

Ignoring the sibling banter, Meredith turned to Addison. "Dr. Montgomery, I heard. I mean, I guessed. I heard Derek on the phone last night and asked Alex about it this morning. But, I'm confused. Why me?"

"I requested you, Mer," Alex said.

"Oh." Meredith didn't quite know how to respond to that. She was touched that Alex thought so highly of her surgical skills and bedside manner.

"Dr. Grey, I need you to do some pre-op blood work on Addison. Her surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I expect you to be ready."

"Absolutely, Dr. Shepherd."

"Make sure you order a hormone panel too. I want to keep track of her hormone levels."

"Hello," Addison said. "Sitting right here. Damn. Now I guess I know how our patients feel."

Squeezing the red head's shoulder, Erin said, "I'm sorry, Addie."

Clearing her throat, Bailey said, "Grey, you and Karev find me when you've taken that blood to the lab. Your fellow interns need to be informed of what's going on." Looking at Addison, she continued, "That means you need to tell Torres before she hears it from O'Malley."

All three nodded as Bailey started herding doctors out of the exam room so Meredith could do what was asked without the audience. Alex stayed rooted next to Addison on the bed, however. "Alex," she said. "Why don't you go check on the Jackson babies? Dr. Grey and I will be fine."

"You sure?" he asked. At her nod, he leaned in, grazing her temple with a brief kiss before smiling at Meredith on his way to the door.

"You can call me Meredith, you know," she said once Alex was gone.

"What?" Addison asked, surprised by the seeming non sequitur.

"I'm dating your ex-husband and your…whatever is one of my best friends. You can call me Meredith."

"Well then," Addison replied with a wry smile. "It's only fair that since you're dating my ex-husband and my…whatever is one of your best friends and you'll be assisting with a surgery that will require you so see me naked from the waist up, you should call me Addison."

"Deal," the intern said, returning the grin the attending gave her. She went about drawing blood from Addison and made several notations in her chart. "Addison?"

"Yes, Meredith?"

"Those friends who came to visit you and Derek last year?"

"Savvy and Weiss?"

"Yeah. I don't mean to overstep or anything, but maybe you ought to call her. I mean, didn't she go through with a complete hysterectomy and double mastectomy because of her results on a genetic screening for the BRCA mutation?"

"You remember that?"

"Well," Meredith said a bit sheepishly. "She was quite the talk of the hospital, or at least the female interns."

"Yeah. I didn't understand her decision then. Thanks for the suggestion, Meredith. I think I will give Savvy a call tonight."

"Good." Pressing a cotton ball against the crook of Addison's arm where she had just drawn blood, Meredith said, "I'll get this to the lab. Then I guess I better find Dr. Bailey."

"Thank you, Meredith."

The intern walked toward the door, then stopped and turned around. "Addison, if there's anything Derek and I can do, even if it's just getting Alex out of your hair when he's hovering too much, just let us know."

"I will," Addison promised.

OoOoO

Cristina, Izzie, and George approached the nurses' station where Meredith and Alex were talking to Bailey. "You paged us, Dr. Bailey?" Izzie asked.

"Yes. I have news and I don't want you hearing about it through the gossip mill."

Looking between Meredith and Alex, George asked, "Are you okay? Neither of you is sick?"

"O'Malley, if you'll let me talk," Bailey said in exasperation.

"Yes, ma'am," he said contritely.

"You need to be aware that Dr. Montgomery will be out of commission for awhile."

"Why?" Cristina asked.

"She will be having a mastectomy on Thursday morning. She was diagnosed with breast cancer yesterday."

Shooting a quick glance at Alex, Izzie asked, "Is she going to be okay?"

"That's the hope. Things will be a little hectic around her, so be prepared to pull a little more weight than usual. The gallery will be locked for Dr. Montgomery's surgery. If you want to watch, you'll have to get her permission." With that, Bailey turned and walked away, leaving her interns to discuss the matter by themselves.

"This is why you're stuck on the gynie squad again, isn't it?" Cristina asked Alex.

Alex nodded mutely as George's eyes locked on Meredith. "Where do you fit in to all of this?" he asked.

Knowing she had to be careful so she didn't reveal too much, she said, "Bailey paged me. I'm the intern assigned to Dr. Montgomery's case."

"You?" Izzie asked incredulously.

Meredith shrugged. "You want to argue with Bailey? I just do as I'm told." The other interns snorted their laughter at her statement.

As they began to disperse, Cristina said, "Hey, Evil Spawn."

"Yeah?" Alex said, turning toward her.

"Tell Dr. Montgomery that we'll do whatever to…well, we'll do whatever."

Smiling at her uncharacteristic kindness, Alex replied, "Sure thing, Yang."

Alex turned to leave, but saw Izzie Stevens standing in his path, looking at him expectantly. "You and Dr. Montgomery came in together this morning," she said without preamble.

"And?"

"What's going on between the two of you?"

"What's it matter to you, Iz? You don't get to be jealous. Not after Denny. Not anymore."

Sighing softly, she said, "That's not what I meant, Alex. It's just…I know she's scared, but you must be too. You really care about her, don't you?"

Alex relaxed somewhat. "Yeah," he said softly. "I really do. And I am scared. I…I wish I could take this away from her."

Wrapping her arms around him in a bear hug, Izzie said, "Addison Montgomery is a lucky woman to have you, Alex."

"Thanks, Iz," he replied, blushing slightly.

Letting him go, she said, "I better get back to work, but if you need anything, Alex—just…well, just let me know."

"Actually, Iz, there is something." Once he knew he had her attention, he continued. "I know you don't like her and I know you think she's not good enough for George, but Torres is one of Addison's best friends. And you're one of my best friends. Please just try to get along with Callie…for Addison's sake. And for mine."

"I promise," Izzie responded sincerely before walking away.

OoOoO

While the interns were discussing her medical issues with Miranda Bailey, Addison went in search of Callie Torres, finding her in the cafeteria, munching on an apple. "Afternoon snack?"

Callie looked up at her friend and smiled. "Hey, Addison. I'm glad you're here. I've been dying to ask you about the fact that you and Alex Karev came into work together this morning."

Sitting in the chair across from Callie, Addison allowed herself to smile at the though of Alex. "I wish it was a big juicy story, Cal, but it's really not. I needed a friend last night."

"Everything okay?"

"No." Taking a deep breath, Addison looked up at Callie. "I have breast cancer. I have a mastectomy scheduled for Thursday."

Reaching across the table, Callie took her friend's hand. "Oh, Addie. When did you find out?"

"Last night. Bailey did the biopsy yesterday, and Alex figured out that something was wrong. He was with me when I found out and took me home with him."

"So you and Alex are…what exactly?" Callie asked. Something told her that Addison was a little tired of talking about cancer and surgery.

Addison shrugged. "I don't know. We're friends with the potential of becoming more." She paused. "I kissed him a couple of weeks ago. At Joe's."

Callie's eyebrows shot up. "Really? And how was that?"

For the first time since she awoke to Alex making pancakes in his kitchen as promised that morning, Addison truly smiled. "It was amazing."

"Was there a repeat performance last night?"

Addison blushed. "No. But he held me. All night. I felt…safe. And he made pancakes this morning. It was so sweet."

"Ads, I'm feeling a little nauseous here. This syrupy sweetness? Kind of disgusting."

"Yeah, because you and George aren't sickeningly sweet too."

"Well, we are when Izzie Stevens isn't inserting herself in the middle of our relationship."

"That still going on?"

"Yeah. It's not as bad though. I guess George finally said something to her."

"Good. I'd hate to think that something would get in the way of your syrupy sweet disgustingness."

"Shut up," Callie retorted, throwing a napkin at Addison.

The older doctor ducked as the napkin flew over her head. "Thanks for this, Callie. For the last few minutes, cancer wasn't the first thing on my mind."

Standing up, Callie gave her friend a hug. "Anytime, Addie. If you wanna talk about it, or if you wanna not talk about it, I'm always here."


End file.
